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Utah County, Utah
Utah County is a county in the US state of Utah. As of the 2010 census, the population was 516,564. It was named for the Spanish name (Yuta) for the Ute Indians. The county seat and largest city is Provo, which is the third-largest city in the state. The center of population of the state is located within this county, in the city of Lehi.Population and Population Centers by State: 2000 Utah County is part of the Provo-Orem Metropolitan Statistical Area. Utah County is one of seven counties in the United States to share the same name as their states (the other six counties are Arkansas County, Hawaii County, Idaho County, Iowa County, New York County, and Oklahoma County). Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (6.66%) is water. Utah Valley lies at the center of the county, lined by the mountains of the Wasatch Range on the east. Utah Lake occupies a large part of the valley. The elevation ranges from above sea level at the lake to at the peak of Mount Nebo. Adjacent counties * Salt Lake – (north) * Tooele – (west) * Wasatch – (east) * Juab – (south and west) * Sanpete – (south central) * Carbon – (south on east) * Duchesne – (southeast) seen here from outside of Salem]] National protected areas * Ashley National Forest (part) * Manti-La Sal National Forest (part) * Timpanogos Cave National Monument * Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest (part) Government The government is an elected county commission made up of three commissioners. Other elected officials include the county sheriff, the county clerk, and the county attorney. As of 2011, the three county commissioners are Gary Anderson, Doug Witney, and Larry Ellertson. Commissioner Ellertson's position will be up for election in 2012, with the other two seats decided in 2014. Utah County's growth was recognized by the state legislature in 2011 by adding one new state Senate seat and two House district seats. Utah County saw 43 of the state's 100 cases of West Nile virus in 2006. Following two deaths from the disease and requests from residents, the Utah County Health Department hired additional staff for their mosquito abatement program. Despite their efforts, 20% of the mosquito species that carry the virus in the county are infected. Infrastructure I-15 CORE The I-15 CORE project is an expansion project that is adding multiple lanes on Interstate 15 through all of Utah County. This expands of freeway and is scheduled for completion in December 2012, but with a major protion by June 2012. Politics Utah County has been referred to as "the most Republican county in the most Republican state in the United States."Krakauer, Jon. Under the Banner of Heaven. Doubleday. New York, 2003. p.78. In the 1992 presidential election, George H. W. Bush received the most votes and Bill Clinton was third in votes received. In the 2004 presidential election, 85.99% voted for George W. Bush.Utah County General Election, Official Results, November 2, 2004 In the 2008 U.S. presidential election, the county voted for John McCain by a 58.9% margin over Barack Obama, with McCain winning by 28.1% statewide.U.S. Election Atlas Eight other Utah counties voted more strongly in favor of McCain.State of Utah County Election Results, November 21, 2008 Demographics As of the census of 2010, there were 516,564 people, 140,602 households, and 114,350 families residing in the county. The population density was 259 people per square mile (100/km²). There were 148,350 housing units, at an average density of 74 per square mile (29/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.4% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 0.6% American Indian or Alaska Native, 1.4% Asian, 0.8% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 4.6% some other race, and 2.7% from two or more races. 10.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 140,602 households, out of which 47.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.9% were headed by married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.7% were non-families. 11.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.4% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.57, and the average family size was 3.88. In the county, the population was spread out with 35.2% under the age of 18, 15.8% from 18 to 24, 28% from 25 to 44, 14.5% from 45 to 64, and 6.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24.6 years. For every 100 females there were 100.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.7 males. At the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the county was $45,833, and the median income for a family was $50,196. Males had a median income of $37,878 versus $22,656 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,557. About 6.80% of families and 12.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.40% of those under age 18 and 4.80% of those age 65 or over. The top 5 reported ancestriesThese should not be described as ethnic groups, because the question was not about what ethnicity someone had but what ancestry they had. Only two ancestries were allowed to be reported, but unlike reports of race there is no distinction made between those who reported only one and those who reported multiple. in Utah County are:Utah County, Utah, Ancestry & Family History * English-30% * German-10% * Danish-7% * Mexican-5% * Scottish-4% Religion 88.1% Mormon 10.1% Non Religious 1.8% Other Utah County Religion Schools Utah County has three school districts, Alpine, Provo, and Nebo.http://www.schools.utah.gov/pr/edinfo/default.htm It also has two universities: Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University. In popular culture * The 2003 book Under the Banner of Heaven written by Jon Krakauer discusses locations throughout Utah County. * The 2007 film American Fork (later known as Humble Pie) was filmed in that city.http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790612/ * The film Brigham City was filmed in Mapleton. Despite the name of the film, Richard Dutcher had Mapleton, not Brigham City, in mind in making the film. * The 1984 film Footloose was filmed at various locations in Utah County: American Fork, Lehi, Orem, Payson, and Provo. * The 1985 film Fletch is set in part in Provo. The dialogue makes frequent reference to the city.http://www.ldsfilm.com/movies/Fletch.html * The 2008 documentary Happy Valley is about drug abuse in Utah County.http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001CK7OOW *The book Social Welfare: Politics and Public Policy, by Diana DiNitto, mentions Utah County as one of the three most generous counties in philanthropic donations in the U.S., based on an article in Giving USA 2003 (the other two were San Juan County, Utah and Madison County, Idaho).AAFRC Trust for Philanthropy, Giving USA 2003 Cities and towns *Alpine, incorporated in 1855 *American Fork, incorporated in 1853 *Cedar Fort, incorporated in 1965 *Cedar Hills, incorporated in 1976 *Draper, incorporated in 1978 and annexed land in Utah County in 2004 *Eagle Mountain, incorporated in 1996 *Elk Ridge, incorporated in 1976 *Fairfield, incorporated in 2004 *Genola, incorporated in 1935 *Goshen, incorporated in 1910 *Highland, incorporated in 1977 *Lehi, incorporated in 1852 *Lindon, incorporated in 1924 *Mapleton, incorporated in 1948 *Orem, incorporated in 1919 *Payson, incorporated in 1853 *Pleasant Grove, incorporated in 1855 *Provo, incorporated in 1849 *Salem, incorporated in 1920 *Santaquin, incorporated in 1932 *Saratoga Springs, incorporated in 1997 *Spanish Fork, incorporated in 1855 *Springville, incorporated in 1853 *Vineyard, incorporated in 1989 *Woodland Hills Census-designated places * Benjamin * Elberta * Lake Shore * Palmyra * Spring Lake * West Mountain Unincorporated communities * Vivian Park See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in Utah County, Utah References External links *Utah County official website *Utah County Sheriff's Office Category:Counties of Utah Category:Utah County, Utah Category:Established in 1852 Category:Provo–Orem metropolitan area